Turkish airline workers join demonstrations, don Guy Fawkes masks

The labor union Hava-Is has been on strike since May 15 over fair pay and a previous round of firings

Published June 5, 2013 8:02PM (EDT)

This article originally appeared on The Daily Dot.

The Daily Dot

Protesting Turkish Airlines attendants would like to direct your attention to the front of the plane.

In a YouTube clip from Turkey, a group of protesters, each wearing Guy Fawkes masks, give a coordinated demonstration—not for safety, but for their rights as workers.

The video appears to feature striking Turkish Airlines employees, who have made their struggle part of the enormous anti-government protests that have engulfed Turkey. According to one copy of the video, the protesters stand in front of Turkish Airlines headquarters.

Labor union Hava-Is, which reportedly represents 14,000 of Turkish Airlines' 15,800 workers, has been on strike since May 15 over their pay and a previous round of firings, according to Reuters. The chairman of Turkish airlines, Hamdi Topcu, has largely dismissed the strike, saying most employees are actually satisfied with their working conditions.

That's not what protesters say. At one point in their routine, the announcer says the airline "advises [you] to fasten and tighten your belts." At that, the workers, en masse, tie belts around their necks, as if nooses.

A few moments later, the announcer declares that protesters are each other's life vests, and instructs viewers to hug them tightly.


By Kevin Collier

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